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UK Debunks Key 'False Narrative' At Heart Of Putin's Ukraine Invasion

UK Debunks Key 'False Narrative' At Heart Of Putin's Ukraine Invasion

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. The UK has debunked a core belief at the heart of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as the conflict approaches the four-year mark. In its latest post on X, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) unpacked how the Kremlin uses anti-Nazi sentiment to motivate the Russian public in the war against its neighbours. Putin and his top team have baselessly tried to paint Ukrainians – particularly those in government – as 21st Century Nazis, suggesting history is repeating itself. The Russian authoritarian justified his February 2022 offensive by falsely alleging Ukraine needed to be “denazified” and “demilitarised”. But, as the UK officials pointed out, ethnic Ukrainians actually “constituted a significant proportion of the Soviet Union’s Red Army in the Second World War” in the fight against Nazi Germany. The MoD noted Russia’s war against Ukraine has now lasted longer than the Soviet Union’s war against Nazi Germany, which began in 1941. It’s also worth mentioning that, while Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union, it was Russia who invaded Ukraine in 2022. The intelligence officials did point to one clear parallel, though. Ukraine’s retaliatory incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region in August 2024 was the first time foreign troops have crossed into the territory since the Nazi’s attempt in 1941. Except, the Ukrainian forces have been much more successful, and held onto Kursk for seven months. The Nazis’ bid lasted just five and a half months. According to the MoD, “Ukrainian forces highly likely continue to conduct limited kinetic operations in Kursk”. The officials said: “Russian leadership false rhetoric and frequent allegations of Ukrainian Nazism prior to, and since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, seeks to influence Russian military personnel and the domestic population into participation in, and support for, Russia’s war in Ukraine. “It seems to take advantage of the deep historical and psychological impact of Russia’s war with Nazi Germany to foster perceptions of Ukraine and Ukrainians as a threat, thereby justifying the Russian invasion. “Such narratives have been supported and proliferated by Russian state-controlled media.” The update comes as Putin continues to drag his feet over the US-led peace talks, and insists on holding onto his maximalist goals for Ukraine. He currently holds around a fifth of Ukraine’s sovereign land and continues to bombard his European neighbour with missiles, even using a ballistic weapon on Thursday. Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 12 January 2026. Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/4r3lxYB4dK #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/MrnUZWrUru — Ministry of Defence (@DefenceHQ) January 12, 2026 Related... Trump Official Goes On Furious Rant, Accusing UK Of Parroting Russia By Considering X Ban BBC Russia Expert Explains How Trump Is Boosting Putin's Determination To Defeat Ukraine Putin Dealing With 'Growing Concern' Over Violence Of Russian Military Veterans, UK Warns